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Detroiters in 1970s: Nothing like a Kool after smoking weed

In the early 1970s, tobacco giant Philip Morris sent researchers to Detroit to find out why Kool cigarettes were so popular among African American and other hip cats.

Turns out, there was nothing more refreshing than a Kool cigarette after smoking some grass, respondents repeatedly told the researchers, according to newly discovered documents from tobacco company archives.

“The smoking of marijuana was so widespread among the group participants that it was taken for granted,” Philips Morris Marketing Executive Al Udow wrote in a letter to the company’s new product brand manager, Chris Bolton.

They reported liking the “smooth” taste of Kools, especially after smoking pot.

“It clears out the cottony feeling in the mouth and throat,” Udow wrote.

Smokers also liked to mix Kool tobacco with their pot.

It’s unclear what, if anything, Philip Morris did with the study. At the time, the company had a menthol competitor, Alpine, which was losing its market share.